Shower
by Lauriesf
Summary: Jack might be wicked, but Sam is more clever...and much more patient!


Shower

_This was just drabble at first, inspired by a shot from the episode "Window of opportunity" when Jack looks intensely at Sam across the conference table and a song I like, "every cotton picking morning" by Blake Shelton where the narrator tells about an early morning encounter that kind of leaves a strong impression on him ;) Enjoy! _

_A big thank you to my beta:)_

**Chapter 1**

Early morning on Cheyenne Mountain. They had been on duty the last 48 hours, planning a new recon mission, pouring over data they'd received from the probe. They'd stayed on base and were to meet first thing in the morning with General Hammond. Jack had woken up at the crack of dawn and been to the gym.

Virtually nobody was awake except those who were on duty for night shift. He liked that moment of the day when he could have the whole place to himself. Whistling a country tune, he reached the door of the locker room to have a well-deserved shower after his session of crunches and push ups.

He went to his locker to retrieve his shower gel and towel and left his clothes on the bench, only keeping his briefs. He knew he could go ahead because they'd established a rule that if a lady officer was staying on base and needed a shower, she'd leave a note on the door and he'd seen no note.

He could smell that someone had been in there before though because there was a nice smell wafting through the air, something with lemon, a light fragrance that smelt like a summer breeze. But that person had left. The shower was not running and no sound came from the shower room.

He crossed the threshold, anticipating the pleasure of feeling the hot water running on his back, soothing his sore muscles.

He suddenly heard the shower being turned on and lazily raised his eyes. She was there, totally naked, rinsing the shower gel she'd just spread all over her body. He couldn't help but stop and stare, hypnotized. He had always been quite sure that what part of her body he could normally not see was at least as beautiful as what he was allowed to look at. But, here under the steaming water, her body looked perfect, her skin smooth, her long limbs stretching as she relaxed, her eyes closed.

There wasn't much in this world that could make Jack O'Neill pause, let alone drop his jaw but right now, his mind felt all gooey and all he could think of was "Wow". He knew it was not the right word, clearly not enough for what he felt, but that was all that had come to mind.

He realized she was going to turn any minute, see him there gawking at her and then all hell would be set loose. Shit! He really needed to save his ass! If she saw him there, he could be in for a heap of trouble...

He backtracked, put his clothes on and left before anyone could testify he was in there with Major Carter. He'd have to wait to have his shower, a cold one, a very long and very cold one.

"What?!", she inquired, looking at him with apprehension. They'd arrived early for the meeting and were the only two people in the room. Knowing Jack O'Neill, he had something on his mind, a whole scenario playing in his mind while sniggering at her, and she knew it was not good for her! For the last couple of minutes, he'd sat there looking intensely at her from across the table, his head resting on his hand, his elbow on the table, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. And he looked wicked...

"Nothing," he answered innocently, "can't I look at my 2IC without her getting nervous?"

_No, indeed, you can't, Sir..._, she thought, blushing.

"I don't know, you seem to have something on your mind...", she hesitated, not knowing if she really wanted to know.

"Not something on my mind, as a matter of fact. Rather a lingering feeling that's pursued me since this morning, Carter," he said nonchalantly. "It seems I can't get rid of that sweet fragrance that I picked up in the shower this morning... humm... something like lemon and vervain..." She jumped at the mention of her shower gel. "It really felt so good I stood longer in the shower than I had thought and almost got late for my appointment with General Hammond. People shouldn't be so careless about using such sexy shower gels around here..." He went on, all the while peering at her big blue eyes as she was getting redder and redder.

To her relief, General Hammond and the other members of SG-1 stepped in the conference room. She was squirming on her seat, wondering how she could get the hell out of here so he could stop his innuendos, because, of course, she wasn't dumb. She had understood perfectly well what he meant. He was plainly telling her he'd seen her naked in the shower and enjoyed it immensely.

Daniel and Hammond were having a conversation about the next mission and didn't pay any attention to her or Jack, except to say "hello" but Teal'c saw it and, in his usual cool manner made her know he'd seen her embarrassment. "What is it, Major Carter? Are you unwell? Do you wish me to assist you? Maybe take you to the infirmary?"

By the time she could reply, Jack was doubling up in laughter. He was having the time of his life and she could tell he was not going to let her be so easily. She needed to cool off before she could participate in the work session.

"Permission to leave the room for a couple of minutes, Sir," she asked General Hammond. "I've... forgotten papers in my lab."

"Permission granted. The briefing will begin in ten minutes." He nodded, not understanding why she was so fluttered for a couple of missing papers, but, _hell, those brainiacs could sometimes be weird_, he thought.

She fled the room, turned the corner of the corridor and settled her back against the wall, her heart beating fast and her mind melting. He couldn't think straight. He had a knack for doing that to her. He'd say something and he'd turn her inside out in no time, but this time was worse. How could she look at him now? She huffed, bending over and putting her hands on her knees as if she'd run for her dear life and couldn't breathe. That was it. He was literally taking her breath away, damn him! Anger suddenly flared in her chest. She was not going to let him off. She would fight back. After all, she was the smartest of the two, right? He'd said it himself many times. For once her intelligence would be used in a more unconventional way and for ignoble purposes – to get back at him!

She headed for the conference room after grabbing a handful of papers at random from the control room and entered with a confident step. He was waiting for her to come in to have more fun, instead he saw the determined and wicked look on her face when she got in, beaming at him her most deceitful smile. That's when he knew the game was on, a game he was not sure he could win.

TBC

_All right, so, originally it was supposed to be drabble but my muse, KEF, whom I want to thank here from the bottom of my heart, came out with a wonderful idea to finish the story. A big thank you too to Blake Shelton who with his song, Every Cotton Pickin' Morning, both inspired the sets for this chapter and some of the ideas for the story._ _Hope you'll like it._

**Chapter 2 - 2 weeks later**

SG-1 had just returned from a recon mission and Jack – who usually loved being off-world – had been glad they were back. Up until now, he'd always loved being their CO. That meant making the difficult decisions and watching their six – hers particularly – but now, he also had to watch his!

It was not that Carter had made a move, trying to get back at him. But he'd caught her watching him intently, biting her lower lip. He'd pass her in the corridor and she'd nod at him and greet him with her usual "Sir" but then she would briefly turn her head, a crooked smile tugging at her mouth. He'd thought about talking to her, had almost done it several times and then relented. It was not as if he could make her change her mind anyway if she was determined... He knew Carter. When she wanted something, she did everything possible to get it – and that meant a lot when it came to Carter. She had the reputation of being as dogged as a pit bull.

But maybe he was imagining things, he mused. After all, he was her CO. She was supposed to respect him, she wouldn't dare, would she? Well, all things considered, he could remember a few times when she'd not been respectful at all with him. Damn! She was so going to take her revenge!

A couple of days later, they were back on a mission. They'd already visited the planet and it had looked promising. Daniel was very enthusiastic about the potential diplomatic outcome they could reach with the local population, natives that resembled in their customs and lifestyle those of the southern areas of North America prior to the British settlement, and Carter had been very interested in the natural resources of the planet.

Of course, he was bored stiff. He had nothing to do since nothing was happening, no skirmish with the locals, no Goa'ulds in the vicinity, not even some alien equipment that would backfire and strand them all in some unknown and dangerous planet... Only nice, easy-going natives who'd happily welcomed them and let them explore the planet as they wanted.

Daniel had explained to him how the population's lifestyle resembled that of the Chikasaw tribe in Mississippi, how their society was based on a matrilineal system, in which children were considered born into their mother's clan so that property and hereditary leadership passed through the maternal line. Like many Indian nations on Earth, they subsisted through hunting, fishing, gathering, and agriculture. They were simple people living uncomplicated lives, who believed that after death those who had led a good life found reward in the heavens, and those who were evil wandered endlessly in a land of witches.

No wild animals, no vicious creature... It did look like paradise, except maybe for the weather. They'd arrived at harvest season and the temperatures could easily reach those of Mississippi in August with daytime in the high 90s that never got lower at night than 70°F, which meant you were hot and sticky by mid-morning, especially since days there lasted on average 20 hours in the summertime.

"Daniel", he called the archeologist from a distance as he reached the village, coming from his early morning stroll around the shelters and fields of the local equivalent of cotton, a green variety of it, which swayed under the gentle morning breeze, "Is there anything I can help with?"

Daniel had seen him moseying along towards him and was having quite a bit of fun imagining how bored he could become when he had nothing to do.

"Nope", he answered, looking up, a bright smile on his face, enjoying the caress of the sun, knowing it would get fiercer when the sun would get high in the sky. "We're good here. Everything is being taken care of. Why don't you enjoy the day for once?"

"You mean like having a day-off?! I would love that, if only I could lay back and relax in front of my favorite series. Beer would be nice too... and a comfortable sofa, which we don't have!"

"Come on, Jack, don't be grumpy. I went to the river bank with the kids this morning. They showed me a nice place where you can take a swim, a little further down the river, over there. It was fun?" He waved to the east of the village, "Maybe ten-minutes walk tops..."

"Well, I don't know, if someone comes with me, why not? I wouldn't mind splashing a few of the local kids! Uncle Jack could show them how great he is at diving!" He said, a mischievous look on his face.

"Jack, you won't find anybody at this time of day... Everybody is on the far side of the valley, in the fields, it is harvest time, remember? Even Carter is there, taking samples of the soil and plants. She thinks there might be something Dr Frasier could work on. She said something about the emerald green color of the cotton here probably meaning there's a much higher quantity of caffeic acid in the soil than on Earth... "

"And... " Jack added, already half-listening what Daniel was trying to explain to him.

"Well, she talked about the effect of caffeic acid on cancer cell proliferation and a couple of other things like anto-inflammatory potentials... "

"Ok, good, excellent, let her have fun. This was all I wanted to know, that she had her hands full. Now, if she's there, she can't be here, can she ? " he grinned at Daniel.

"Yeah, sure, Jack, whatever you say... " Daniel replied, making a mental note to ask Sam what was going on with Jack.

Whistling happily, Jack headed in the direction of the river bank, anticipating the nice swim he was going to have, all alone, without the sliest chance of having Carter drop on him unawares!

"Jack ," Daniel called him, "Wait ! There is something you can do though... No, no, don't worry, you can still go swimming," he added quickly when he saw Jack's pissed look. "It's just Teal'c has decided it was an excellent day for some kelno'reem. He is sitting over there," he added, waving at the tall trees standing in the same direction as the one Jack was heading, "He might be a while so, if you don't mind, you could be the one to make our daily report at the gate... It won't take long and it's only in two hours so you've got plenty of time to enjoy yourself."

"Ok, Danny, I'll be there on time," he answered, setting the alarm on his watch.

"Have fun, Jack! "

"You too, Daniel! "

He strolled down the dirt road that meandered through the valley. There were bushes of red currant and blackberries on each side and a few tall trees casting shade along the way to the river but when he arrived he was sweating from the hot atmosphere and felt grateful for Daniel's suggestion.

There was a bend in the river in front of him and the natives had apparently built a sort of dam that created a pond on the side of which reeds were growing, hiding it from the view and giving privacy to the swimmers. The water looked cool and inviting. Nobody was in sight. It did seem like the perfect time for a swim. Jack shrugged off his gear, then removed his jacket and cap. He sat on the ground and took off his shoes and socks. He took one last look around, not seeing anybody. He grinned and then removed his t-shirt and kicked off his pants, only keeping his dog tag and briefs on. Good nobody could see him, he reflected, chuckling, because he had his favorite Simpsons' briefs on and what would his team think of him if they could see their CO, Colonel Jack O'Neill, "scourge of the Goa'ulds ", rakish ex-black Ops, wearing Simpsons' briefs! Yep, 'twas a good thing everybody was busy at the village and fields!

What he didn't know, though, was that someone was watching him from the top of the nearby hill through binoculars and that that someone had a very broad smile on her face, her eyes twinkling with mirth...

"You are so gonna pay, Sir," she whispered to herself.

She pocketed her binoculars and swiftly descended the hill, crouching and hiding behind the tall grass so he couldn't see her coming.

Unaware of what was going on, Jack dived into the pond and swam a few strokes, then waded in the water, enjoying the moment. It was very quiet around him, except for the hot wind that made the reeds sing softly. He'd been in the water for some time when he thought he heard a discreet splashing sound not far from where he was. He looked around but saw nothing, only some fish swimming across the pond. Probably one of those had jumped and made the noise.

He relaxed and sighed with contentment.

"Hey, Sir ! Having a little skinny dipping? " He suddenly heard, just right beside him. He jumped and looked towards the voice. His 2IC was pushing through the reeds on his left, wading in the water to reach him.

"For crying out loud, Carter!" he yelled. "You scared the hell out of me ! What are you doing here ? "

"Same thing as you, Sir. Enjoying the water," she replied innocently, batting her eyelashes.

"How long have you been here?" he demanded.

"Just arrived, Sir", she said, getting closer. She had water to her waist and she was just dressed in her sweet little tank top.

"Wow-oh, Carter, what are ya doing?" he said, seeing her getting closer. He had always had this fantasy that one day he'd see her again in it when she'd not be infected with an alien virus, when they'd be free from regulations, but not now !

She gave him a flirtatious smile. "Well, Sir, we're very far away from home. I thought it was ok if we spent quality time together." Her voice trailed off and she got a little bit closer to him.

"Carter, stop it, NOW! Are you infected with that alien disease again? Or is it something you've drunk?"

She got even closer, barely a foot from him now.

"Now, Carter, you don't want to do that! Do not get into my private space," he warned her. "I'm a man, for crying out loud! And you're..." he motioned at her, at a loss for words.

"I'm a woman?" she answered, innocently.

"No... Yes!... But it's not what I meant! You're flirting with me! And it kind of turns me on, I mean would turn me on if I wasn't your CO and all that...", he fumbled for words and averting his eyes, looked at the sky, anywhere but at her very wide blue eyes and her oh so perfect shoulders. He could feel his body getting warmer from the inside and knew it was a matter of seconds before he might do something very stupid, like forget all about the regs.

"Ok, it's getting obvious it is not safe for me here." He said, starting to get out of the water, then stopped, suddenly realizing the very embarrassing tiny detail she was bound to see if he left the pond while she was still there.

He turned to her and motioned for her to turn round. "Now, Carter, you turn round and close your eyes." She raised an eyebrow, smirked and did not budge. "If you don't,"he warned her, "I'll have to report your inappropriate behavior."

"What is it, Sir?" she answered, laughing. "It's not as if I'd not seen you in your underwear before. I mean, it happens all the time when we're off-world! Come on, I even saw you only wrapped in a blanket on Kynthia's planet, for God's sake! No need to be suddenly so prudish..."

He hissed. "Carter..."

But she did not relent. She was not finished with him... yet. "Besides...", she added innocently, "if you report me, I'll tell everyone you wear Simpsons' briefs, Sir."

Holding her head high, she got out of the pond, her long trim legs only clad in her AF panties shimmering with water, her sweet little tank top sticking to her body, molding her firm breast.

He watched her leave, speechless. He couldn't believe the cheek of his Major and he couldn't believe his eyes either. Man , was she gorgeous! And wicked too. She'd had her revenge, even more than he deserved, and if she talked about his briefs, he was toast.

She took her time to get her gear, all the while giggling. "Now, that's enough, Major! No giggling!"

She looked down at him still standing in the water, waiting for her to oblige and leave him alone.

"Oh, come on, Colonel, seize the day!You love it when I giggle, don't you?" And on these words, she gave him one of her broad smiles and left, ambling down the road to the fields, whistling happily.

How could he possibly bear a grudge against her when she gave him one of those smiles? And yes, it definitely made his day when she giggled!

He sighed and got ready to get out of the water when his watch started bipping. His mind being fuzzy with the vision of Carter soaking wet, it took him a couple of seconds to snap out of it and realize what that meant. Then he jumped out of the water as if he'd just seen the devil, put his pants and shoes on, grabbed the rest of his gear and made a run for it. Damn! He was so going to be late for the daily report at the gate! How on earth was he going to account for it?

**Epilogue**

The next time he saw her was in the evening. She was getting ready to get back to Earth with the samples she'd collected. He was waiting with her and Teal'c at the gate for Daniel to join them.

She was trying to keep a straight face but he could see it was getting more difficult by the second. He leaned towards her and whispered in her ear. "No giggling, Major. I mean it."

"Don't worry, Sir, I know how to keep a secret."

"Frankly speaking, Major, it is really no big deal!" he said casually. It was a bold move because she could then decide to tell everyone. He was walking on slippery ground. "You didn't really win, you know. After all, whatever the pattern, I still had some underwear on", he added. "You didn't see me naked."

"Well, Sir, you might be right." He beamed at her, thinking she'd just acknowledged her defeat. "But I will someday... soon." She winked at him, then seeing Daniel had finally arrived, dialed home and without a single look back, walked through the rippling pond.

_Note : all the information about the Chickasaw tribe and the variety of green cotton are accurate._


End file.
